An NFT reproducing Leonardo Da Vinci’s Head of Bear will be unveiled at Christie’s auction house during Classic Week.
The famous auction house thus confirms the industry’s interest in non-fungible tokens.
The work was created by Hackatao and will be visible via the Aria AR app from 3 to 8 July. The work has been donated and will later be on display at the Museum of the Crypto Art.
At auction Leonardo’s Head of Bear, the original and the NFT version
As shown in the short video posted on Twitter, Leonardo’s Head of Bear has been digitally recreated.
It's happening!😜
Hackatao X @ChristiesInc
Leonardo da Vinci's HEAD OF A BEAR 🐻
is reborn in the Metaverse3 – 8 July – London
A collab with @MuseumofCrypto @eleonorabrizi @ariaplatform#leonardodavinci #nftart pic.twitter.com/eVEqu1gQqj
— Hackatao (@Hackatao) June 14, 2021
The curious thing is that Christie’s will also be auctioning the actual work on 8 July alongside the digital reproduction in NFT format.
This is because the “Head of Bear” drawn by Leonardo will also be made available to buyers willing to spend an estimated 9 to 13 million euros.
This drawing, the one by Leonardo, is very special because it is made with a silverpoint on prepared paper, a technique that Leonardo Da Vinci learned from his master, Verrocchio. There is no doubt that Leonardo was the author. His signature is at the bottom left. The work is very small, a square of 7 centimetres per side.
The drawing was probably part of the preparatory work for more important works. In any case, experts are ready to bet that the sale of the Head of Bear at auction could break the previous record for the amount paid to acquire a work by Leonardo. It was back in 2001 when Christie’s sold the horse and rider study drawing for £8 million.
Auction houses crazy for NFTs
Auction houses seem to be very fond of NFTs. After the record-breaking sale of a Beeple NFT for $69 million, which was also at Christie’s, other sales made history. For example, an NFT from the CryptoPunk series, one of the first NFTs ever created, was auctioned at Sotheby’s for $11 million.
